Beate Meinl-Reisinger

They were handed over to authorities in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, where preparations began for their return home.

Austrian Foreign Minister Beata Meinl-Reisinger said Eva Gretzmacher was received by an Austrian crisis response team.

She credited intensive diplomatic efforts with securing her freedom after more than 21 months in captivity.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry said federal officials met Claudia Opt in Benghazi, where she received medical care.

Austria is proposing a new approach, giving candidate countries access to the single market as they complete reforms, rather than making them wait for full membership.

But does that accelerate enlargement or risk creating a permanent halfway house? Yesterday, I had a chance to speak to Austria's foreign minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, to discuss her proposal, and I started by asking her why the enlargement process is moving so slowly.

Is it because the candidate countries are lacking reforms or because of political reluctance inside the EU itself? Here's what she said

saidThere are so many countries now in the waiting room for, or have been in the waiting room for over 20 years, especially those countries from the Western Balkans.

And if the population is, uh, is, uh, getting frustrated, it's very easy for Russia or China or the US to enter those countries.

[musical sting]

Austria's Foreign Minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger.

And now to the Middle East, but not to Iran.

Well, just finally on that thought, I mean, a- as you suggest, some politicians in Austria are trying to nudge this along.

I think perhaps most obviously the current foreign minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, uh, who earlier this year said to Die Welt, and I quote, "Neutrality alone will not protect us.

The idea that if we harm no one, no one will harm us is naive." I- is that sentiment gaining any traction with Austria's actual public as far as it's possible to tell?

Well, if you look at the recent opinion polls, you would be surprised to find that there's still 70% of the population who thinks that neutrality should be kept on.

Beate Meinl-Reisinger, mind you, she's foreign minister, and I think she and her party have done a lot to open the debate up a little bit more honestly about the future, the military future of Austria.

But she is the- Head of a very small liberal party, which is now part of the government coalition.

She might be out of power, you know, very soon if the far-right FPÖ comes to power, and the far-right FPÖ is certainly very, very clearly sitting not only on the concept of neutrality, but also on the interpretation of neutrality, let's put it like this, as a slightly more pro-Putinist position, and that is the real danger.

Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár is paying visit to Montenegro on Thursday and Friday, the 1st and 2nd of October, as part of the Austerlitz Format, including Austria, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

He was scheduled to make the trip together with Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger and their Czech counterpart, Petr Matějček.

The visit aims to reaffirm support for Montenegro's integration process and its ambition to become a member of the European Union.

The talks also revolve around the hybrid threats and energy and transport infrastructure in the region.